Maidonians slam £152m Kings Triangle plans

Maidonians slam £152m Kings Triangle plans

A leading developer has slammed the Kings Triangle development as 'frighteningly bad'.

Bill Higgins says the £152m proposals have no heart and will not spark the rejuvenation of Maidenhead.

He says the design is inward-looking and does not integrate well with the town centre and train station.

He also says it lacks a proper town square which is sorely needed and does not have enough car parking

His fears have also been echoed by Maidenhead Regeneration Group and Maidenhead Town Partnership who have both written to the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead expressing concerns.

Mr Higgins is calling for the outline planning application submitted by ING Real Estate Development (ING RED) last month to be refused.

It wants to flatten land bordered by King Street, Queen Street and Broadway and build a complex of shops, offices and homes.

Mr Higgins has labelled the design as 'unispiring, fundamentally flawed and poorly reasearched'.

The 64-year-old says the proposals do not meet aspirations in the Area Action Plan.

The trained chartered surveyor has 35 years experience in development and real estate investment.

He has also lived in Burchetts Green for more than 30 years.

Worried by a lack of public interest he has urged residents to take a closer look at the plans and ensure they are happy with the town's 'legacy'.

He said: "I'm not here to dictate but people need to ask if these plans really are good enough for Maidenhead?

He added: "I almost find it frightening how bad they are."

He denied any vested interest.

The plans are due to go before a special meeting of the Maidenhead development control panel but a date is yet to be set.

A spokesman for ING RED said: "We have developed the Kings Triangle proposals over a considerable amount of time, with the guidance of leading architectural and town planning experts, to reflect the site’s constraints and the input of very many stakeholders."

The developer agreement between ING and the council has now been published and can be viewed here. View the application and comments here.

The Mayor of Slough Cllr Arvind Dhaliwal meets family and friends. A family fun day is being held at IQRA Primary School in memory of Ayesha Farooq, 23. IQRA Primary School, Fernside, Wexham Rd, Slough